Nations League: Belgium Shines in Italy, France Wins Despite Mbappe Injury

Italy's struggles continue following their World Cup 2026 qualification failure.

New Belgium coach Mark van Bommel kicked off his tenure with a Nations League victory over Italy in Rome.

For Roberto Mancini, it was a disappointing return as Italy's manager. He previously led the team to EURO 2020 success but achieved only third place in the Nations League twice.

Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappe sustained an injury while scoring the decisive goal in France's away win against newly promoted Turkey.

Northern Ireland, Armenia, Ukraine, Montenegro, and Sweden also secured wins on the second day of Nations League matchday one.

Belgium vs Italy: Van Bommel's Nations League Debut Success

Van Bommel, the former Netherlands international, will be pleased with his team's goal-scoring quality in his first match since leaving Antwerp in 2024.

Mika Godts, a recent Paris Saint-Germain signing, opened the scoring for Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico after a dynamic run into the box.

Benfica winger Dodi Lukebakio netted an arguably more impressive goal in the 2-0 win. He concluded a rapid counter-attack, showcasing skillful dribbling near the penalty area before scoring from distance.

Nations League Results: September 25, 2026

In League B, Sweden defeated Romania 2-1. Alexander Isak (Liverpool) and Viktor Gyokeres (Arsenal) scored for Sweden, with Dennis Man (PSV) replying for Romania.

Ukraine beat Hungary 1-0 in Budapest thanks to Danylo Sikan's first-half goal. Oleksandr Nazarenko received a red card for Ukraine in the 92nd minute.

Shea Charles scored in the 99th minute to give Northern Ireland a 1-0 victory over Georgia in Tbilisi. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Paris Saint-Germain) had missed a penalty for Georgia in the 65th minute.

Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 0-0 in Warsaw, despite Poland captain Robert Lewandowski playing upfront.

Armenia secured a 2-0 home win against Latvia with goals from Georgii Arutiunian and Artur Garibyan. In Group C, Montenegro came from behind to beat Cyprus 2-1; Nikola Krstovic and Milutin Osmajic scored for Montenegro, while Marcus Edwards had put Cyprus ahead.

Nations League Fixtures: September 26, 2026

Saturday's matches include:

League	Fixture	BST Start Time	ET	PT
B	Slovenia vs Scotland	14:00	09:00	06:00
C	Iceland vs Estonia	17:00	12:00	09:00
C	Faroe Islands vs Kazakhstan	17:00	12:00	09:00
C	San Marino vs Finland	17:00	12:00	09:00
C	Bulgaria vs Luxembourg	17:00	12:00	09:00
A	England vs Spain	19:45	14:45	11:45
C	Albania vs Belarus	19:45	14:45	11:45
C	Slovakia vs Moldova	19:45	14:45	11:45
B	North Macedonia vs Switzerland	19:45	14:45	11:45
A	Czechia vs Croatia	19:45	14:45	11:45